Sprinkler head



Fig 2 J. A. MCELROY SPRINKLER. HEAD Filed Feb. 28. 1922 1 .wb 5 F Nov. 10, 1925.

jmp/7 ,Q Maf/Oy bf A Patented Nov. 10, 1925.

UNITED STAT ES JOSEPH A. MGELBOY7 PATENT y GFF-1C E..

on Naw Yonx, N1. Y.

Application led February 28, 1922. Serial No. 539,821.

l Sprinkler Heads, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to sprinkler heads such, for example, as are used in automatic fire extinguishing systems of the kind in which a valve is held over an outlet by means of a strut interposed between the valve and an opposed abutment.

One object of my invention isl to provide a device of cheap and simple construction and one which may readily be assembled. A further Objectis to provide a device in which the number of component parts is reduced to a minimum. j i j My invention willbe best understoodby reference to the accompanying drawings illustrating preferred embodiments thereof, -wherein like numerals referto like parts throughout and in which:

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a sprinkler head embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is a vertical'sectional view looking from the left in Fig. 1, the strut beingv shown in elevation.

Fig. 3 shows a portion of one member of the toggle forming the strutshown in Fig.- 2.

Fig. 11 is a transverse vertical sectional view of the strut shown in Figuresy 3 and 5.

Fig. 5 is a plan view of that portion ofthe toggle device shown in elevation in Fig. 3.-

Figs. 6 and 7 are a section and elevation respectively of one member of a fusible'link embodying a modified form of my invention.

Fig.- 8 is a fragmental'viewl of a sprinkler headequipped with a fusible link embody ing the modification shown in Figures 6 and 7.

Fig. 9 is a side elevation partly in section of the device illustrated in Fig. 8.

I have herein disclosed my invention as applied to a sprinkler head of the usual Vtype wherein a hollow hub l, provided with a nipple 7 adapted to engage a sockety in a water supply system, has two arms y2, `3 cast integral therewith, said arms terminating in a boss 4:. The boss 4c is provided with a deliector 5 of the usual type and is internally threaded to receive an adjustingf'serew l6.'

A valve cap 8 is seated upon tlieeutlet of the fitting and is held iii position by means of a strut; y l j In Figs. 1 and'Q of' the drawings',r I"l have illustrated' the strut atk cbmposed' of t'w bell crank levers which have' `the sbsta'ntially counterpartarms 9 and lOwr'espcctively, vpivotally Vengaging" valve and adjust-f ing screw respectively and!ha'vin'gfav pivetal engagement' with each other. The peint' of bearing between the twe arnisis offsetfrom the line of stress betweenthe points of bearingfon the valve andjserew so'als to form a partiallyy broken toggle' and` the- 4pressure thereon of the valve` and the adjustment screw tend te furtherr breakthe toggle. To maintain the toggle againstlany fluid pressure whichv maybe behind the valve, the levers'haveother arms 11 and'12extending laterally therefrom. Inoue form otnf vention the arms 11' and-12'A`a`r'e` frmed with substantially flat portions 13 l extending in a plane substantially parallelf' with theplane including the arms of the lever and se'V ar.- ranged that when the levers are' in*` their operative position the flat prti-ns 13"V lie adjacent one another or coincide. The portions 13are formed onthe'ir inner ora" jaa cent faces with grooves. or ydepressions 14 and these depressions in the embodiment illustrated. take the fornifof across,- tlie arms of which are illustrated as' being.V at right angles to each other although itis bv'ius that any system of grcovesrmay be'used in which arms or channels radiate from'a common center. As will be obvious from anfinspection of Fig. 2, the grooves on the adjacent faces de not coincide' but are so arranged that' the greoves on one face come opposite the space between the'lgreoveson the adjacent face. The partslnormally are held together by' a readily' fusible slder l'w'hich fills the grooves 14 'and'ex'tendsbetween the adj acentfaces. The solder filling the grooves inthe adjacent faces forms a `mass suiiicient'to Overcome any tendeney to cold flow and prevents any displacement in the relative positions of the twoffaces. The two bellcrank levers are assembled as shown in Fig. 2' with the adjacent faces` of the portions 13 held together by a readily fusible solder 15 interposed therebetween to form a toggle or strut which is inserted in the sprinkler head in the usual manner between the valve and the adjustment screw 6. It will be observed that the common centers from which the grooves run on the respective faces or plates substantially coincide while,

the grooves in one face do not register with the grooves in the proximate face. Centrally of the plates, however, there are depressions formed which do register and these depressions when filled with solder result in the formationl (in the illustrated embodiment) of an eight-pointed star of substantial thickness. 'Ihe radiating points of this starshaped mass of solder 14X resist the shearing moments impressed thereon by the constant tendencyv of the arms 11 and12 to separate under the toggle action of the arms 9 and 10 until the surrounding temperature is raised sufliciently to melt the solder. The screw is then turned to force the toggle against the valve` until the desired stress is exerted to hold the valve against fluid pressure in the supply system.

In Figs. 6 to 9 I have disclosed a modification of my invention in which the bell crank levers are so constructed that when the two levers are assembled in their operative position the arms 11 and 12" diverge to form anv angle of sufficient magnitude to permit the use of a fusible connection between the effective ends as clearly disclosed in Fig. 9. The ends of the arms 11 and 12 are shaped to form hooks 18 and the link which I have designated in its entirety as 25 is provided near its opposite ends with slots 24 adapted to engage the hooks and maintain the levers in their operative position.

The link 25 comprises the c-o-operating plates 16 and 17. Each plate is provided with an aperture 24 and upon one face of the link a groove 14 isprovided. vI prefer that this groove be in the shape of a cross or similar shape in which a plurality of arms radiate from a common center. .Each pair of 4plates are so arranged that when assembled the slots 24 will be diametrically opposed to one another and so that the grooves will not coincide, but sothat the grooves on .one plate will lie adjacent that portion of the face of the juxtaposed plate which lies between the grooves on that plate.

In 'assembling' the link two co-operative parts 16 and 17 are placed side by side with the faces containing the grooves adjacent one another and with the central portion of the grooves from which the arms radiate opposite each other. A. lump of readily fusible solder is placed in one of the depressions and the whole heated so that the solder fills the grooves and flowing over the adjacent facesbinds the two parts together. A star-shaped m-ass of solder 14x is formed at the center as in the previously described modification and functions similarly to resist shearing stresses.

Having thus described in detail my invention as applied to the particular types of struts chosen for illustration in the drawings as an example, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. The herein described tension device for `sprinkler heads, the same comprising a pair of levers each having one arm provided with an enlarged portion, each enlarged portion having a plurality of depressions radiating from a common center, and a solder fusible at a predetermined temperature, filling said depressions and normally holding said enlarged portions together. i 2. In an automatic sprinkler, a valve cap, a strut bearing upon said valve cap, said strut comprising two levers, one arm of each of said levers having an enlarged portion, each enlarged portion having a flat face provided with a plurality of depressions radiating from a common center, said flat faces being normally juxtaposed and secured together by a solder entering the depressions.

3. In an automatic sprinkler, the combination with a valve and valve cap therefor, of a strut comprising two levers, a plate carried with an arm of each lever respectively, a groove formed in each of the proximate faces of said plates respectively, the axes of said grooves being disposed at an angle to each other when the levers are in assembled relation whereby the grooves of one face oppose the plane face of the adjacent plate and the grooved faces being normally secured together by a solder fusible at a predetermined temperature.

4f. In an automatic sprinkler, the combination with a valve and valve cap therefor, of a strut comprising two levers, a plate carried with an arm of each lever respectively, a plurality of grooves formed in each of the adjacent faces of said plates respectively, the axes of the grooves in one of the adjacent faces being disposed in angular relation to the axes of the grooves in the other of said adjacent faces when said plates are in assembled relation whereby the grooves of one face are disposed adjacent plane portions of the adjacent plate, said faces being normally secured together by a solder interposed therebetween.

5. In an automatic sprinkler, the combina- 4tion with a valve and valve cap therefor,

tion whereby the grooves of one face are disposed adjacent plane portions of the adjacent plate, said grooved faces being normally secured together by a solder interposed therebetween.

6. in an automatic sprinkler, the combination with a valve cap of a strut comprising two levers, plates formed on an arm of said levers respectively, said plates being provided upon adjacent faces with a plurality of grooves radiating from a common center, the axes of the grooves formed in the respective faces being disposed at an angle to each other, said grooved faces being normally secured together by a solder interposed therebetween and filling said grooves.

7. In an automatic sprinkler, the combination with a valve cap, of a strut bearing upon said valve cap, said strut comprising two levers, one arm of each of said levers being formed with an enlarged portion, each enlarged portion having a flat face formed with a plurality of grooves crossing one another at right angles, the axes of the grooves on the respective faces being, when assen bled, disposed at an angle to each other, said adjacent faces being normally secured together by a solder entering the depressions and fusible at a predetermined relatively low temperature.

Signed at New York in the county of New York and State of New York, February JOSEPH A. MCELROY. 

